Welcome to my special newsletter about actions to change or reform the school board. More than 500 parents and residents have signed up so far for email delivery. Thanks for being engaged San Franciscans who care to improve our city.

Our first update includes:

• City attorney suing the school board to implement a reopening plan

• Latest developments on groups seeking to recall school board

• Opportunity to learn more about how local politics work

If you know others who might be interested in getting this newsletter by email, please share this message and ask them to sign up here.

City Attorney Sues School Board
This is a first for San Francisco. The City Attorney has sued the school board to implement a reopening plan for schools.

Why the lawsuit? Because the school board cannot be controlled by the mayor or the Board of Supervisors. It is a body of seven members directly elected by voters and does not answer to any other legislative authority. The school board derives its power from the state education code, state law and the city charter (San Francisco’s constitution).

The lawsuit says the school board has violated its official duty under state law, which was updated during the pandemic to require every school board “to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible” during the 2020-2021 school year.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s lawsuit says our school board’s reopening plan is “woefully inadequate” and seeks a court order “directing the school district to prepare to offer in-person instruction now that it is possible to do so safely.”

The lawsuit points out more than 15,000 private school students in San Francisco have been in classrooms without problem and argues that our 52,000 public school students should be able to do the same. You can read the actual filing that lays out the case.

If you don’t want to read a legal brief, there is an informative press release that summarizes the main points of the 55-page filing.

Recall and Reform Efforts
At least six different groups have independently formed in the past two weeks seeking to recall the school board or put a charter amendment on the ballot to change how the school board is formed. Most of these groups are informally organized parents and residents who are frustrated, fed up, and want to do something to fix things.

While the city attorney’s lawsuit might force the school board to take action about reopening schools, it doesn’t do anything to replace the school board members who refused to prioritize a safe reopening as they sought to rename the schools and end merit-based admission to Lowell High School.

A recall of school board members and the idea to amend the city charter to change how the school board is formed is still on the table. Election lawyers are looking into what is possible given the complexities of how the state education code and state law interacts with our city charter.

I’ll keep you posted. I’ll let you know which group is doing what — and where to sign up to volunteer and donate for each cause — as soon as they are set in motion.

If you are leading a group of parents and would like to coordinate with other parent groups, let me know.

Understanding San Francisco Politics
You’re already upset about the school board. But is there something else in your neighborhood you want to see fixed? Ever wonder what a supervisor does or what the heck City Hall spends $13 billion on every year?

Find out with my SF Politics 101 webinar, hosted by TogetherSF. It explains how local politics work and presents an entertaining look at the history that shaped San Francisco. The webinar is brought to life with photos and narrative storytelling.

Learn about San Francisco’s journey from the Gold Rush to tech backlash — and every twist in between. SF Politics 101 is designed for both newcomers and longtime residents who want to better understand the city they love.

SF Politics 101 Webinar
Thursday February 11
7pm
Click here to register

If you can’t make the February 11 presentation, I’m happy to do special presentations with any group. Click here to learn more.